Murad IV (1623–1640) was the 17th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, best remembered for his iron-fisted rule, personal military leadership, and ruthless suppression of corruption and rebellion. Rising to power at the age of 11 during a time of chaos, he eventually became one of the most authoritarian rulers in Ottoman history. Murad IV restored order, strengthened central authority, and even personally led a military campaign into Persia, capturing Baghdad.
- Full Name: Murad IV ibn Ahmed
- Titles: Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Ghazi
- Reign: 1623–1640 CE
- Dynasty: Ottoman
- Father: Ahmed I
- Mother: Kösem Sultan
- Predecessor: Mustafa I (second reign)
- Successor: Ibrahim I
- Capital: Istanbul
- Age at Accession: 11
- Age at Death: 27
🧒 Early Life and Rise to Power
- Born in 1612, Murad IV was the son of Sultan Ahmed I and the influential Kösem Sultan, who acted as regent during his early reign.
- He ascended the throne in 1623 after the second deposition of his uncle Mustafa I, at a time when the empire was plagued by:
- Janissary insubordination
- Palace factionalism
- Provincial revolts
- Military defeats and financial crisis
🧕 Kösem Sultan’s Regency
- For nearly a decade, his mother Kösem Sultan held real power while Murad grew up.
- This period was marked by intense political maneuvering, corruption, and chaos, which deeply affected Murad’s view of power.
💪 Assumption of Absolute Power (c. 1632)
- Around 1632, Murad IV took personal control of the government.
- He quickly transformed into a strict, feared autocrat, known for:
- Suppressing dissent violently
- Personally executing corrupt officials
- Restoring central authority through harsh laws
- Banning alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and enforcing the bans with public executions
⚔️ Murad IV himself would patrol the streets of Istanbul in disguise, catching violators and ordering immediate punishment — including beheadings.
⚔️ Military Campaigns and Achievements
🏛️ Campaign Against the Safavids (1638–1639)
- Murad IV personally led a major military expedition to Persia, one of the last Ottoman sultans to do so.
- He captured Baghdad in 1638, a major strategic and symbolic victory in the Ottoman–Safavid wars.
- The war concluded with the Treaty of Zuhab (1639), securing Ottoman control of Iraq and establishing borders largely recognized today between Iran and Iraq.
⚖️ Domestic Reforms and Policies
- Restored discipline in the Janissary corps
- Reinstated financial order by clamping down on tax evasion and waste
- Reined in the power of provincial governors
- Instituted strict moral and public conduct laws
- Though he banned many substances, he privately consumed them himself, reflecting a complex, sometimes hypocritical character
📚 Culture and Arts
- Despite his authoritarian rule, Murad IV was a patron of the arts and supported architecture and poetry.
- He was himself a poet, writing under the pen name Muradi.
⚰️ Death and Legacy
- Murad IV died in 1640 at age 27, likely from cirrhosis of the liver caused by excessive drinking.
- He executed his brother Bayezid shortly before his death to prevent a succession crisis — a return to the old practice of fratricide.
- He was succeeded by his mentally unstable brother Ibrahim I, as Murad left no surviving sons.
🏛️ Legacy
- Murad IV is remembered as:
- One of the most powerful and feared Ottoman sultans of the 17th century
- A reformer and disciplinarian who restored the prestige of the sultanate
- A military leader who secured lasting gains in the east
- A ruler who showed the extremes of autocracy, both effective and brutal
His reign marked the last time the Ottoman Empire would be ruled by a sultan with true military leadership and central authority before the empire entered a longer period of stagnation and internal decay.
